I'll Still Love You (Kaisoo Fanfic)

Chapter 22

Kyungsoo took a step back, his open agape as he scanned Jongin from head to toe. Jongin's face was scattered with bruises: he had a busted lip, a bruise on the side of his nose, a bruise near his ear, and his left eye was black. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were red and puffy; he'd been crying.

"J-Jongin," Kyungsoo cried, trying hard but failing to blink back the tears that were threatening to form. "What happened? Did your father do this to you?" Jongin didn't answer, instead just looking at his shoes and nodding slowly. "I can't believe this," Kyungsoo huffed, feeling his blood boil from anger. "What kind of father would do this to their own child?"

"My father does," Jongin deadpanned.

"But..." Kyungsoo's voice trailed off, not knowing where to start. With shaking hands, he reached out for Jongin's face and slowly raised Jongin's head up to look at him properly, and that's when the tears started to leak out of his eyes. With just one look at Jongin's face, he knew it didn't go well.

"I-I tried, I really did. I j-just-" Jongin broke out into a fit of sobs, unable to continue speaking and Kyungsoo quickly pulled him into a tight hug, caressing his back gently as Jongin's tears soaked his shoulder. Kyungsoo didn't know what to do. What if he could take away the pain that Jongin was feeling at that moment? What if Jongin didn't have to go through with all this pain by himself? What if he could help Jongin carry all of this burden? Maybe their lives would be so much easier.

But they were all 'What if's.

"I-I'm sorry, Jongin," Kyungsoo cried, holding Jongin closer to him as the older wept. "I-I'm so sorry. I c-couldn't help you, and now you're all hurt and b-bruised because of m-me."

Jongin shook his head violently from side to side. "Stop apologizing when it's not even your fault. You couldn't have done anything to prevent it from happening."

"But I should've at least tried to protect you," Kyungsoo argued. "I could've prevented this from happening if I hadn't just let you go out there to confront your dad by yourself. I should've come with you. Maybe then your dad could take his anger out on me instead of you. That way you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Jongin yanked Kyungsoo away from him and held him by the shoulders, his eyes boring into Kyungsoo's. "Don't you dare say that again!" Jongin yelled, taking Kyungsoo by surprise. "I would take a million punches if that meant that you would stay safe. Don't you dare say that you'd rather get hurt in my place, because I'll never let that happen for as long as I live. This right here," Jongin said as he pointed to the bruises on his face, "is proof of how far I would go to protect you. I'd go even further too."

Kyungsoo's lower lip quivered as tears continued to pour out of his eyes. He was so grateful to know that there was someone who cherished him like he was a rare treasure, but he also felt bad that he couldn't do the same. He was too weak and small to protect Jongin the way Jongin protected him. He was too deficient to see that Jongin wouldn't be able to handle this on his own.

"But I'm still sorry," Kyungsoo mumbled as he lowered his gaze. "I will forever be sorry. I'm sorry I can only sit around and watch. I'm sorry I can't repay you for everything you do for me. I'm sorry I can't take some of your pain away and make it my own. I'm sorry that I-"

Kyungsoo immediately got cut off when Jongin sealed their lips together, swallowing up Kyungsoo's next words. Kyungsoo shut his eyes, allowing Jongin to devour him and letting the kiss wipe away everything he had planned on saying. His brain started to turn to mush, his legs wobbling like jelly as he let Jongin's kiss brainwash him, the kiss becoming the only thing he could focus on.

Jongin pulled away from the kiss seconds after. "You say sorry one more time and I'll actually go insane." Kyungsoo nodded and pulled Jongin over to the couch.